Topic: UN's Role of Addressing Sectarian and Ethnic Conflict within a Nation
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Ryhan Nadji
School: Traverse City West High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Indonesia position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
For ages, Indonesia has had a reputation in striving for equality and social unity of its many peoples. Unfortunately, there have been instances of people acting outside of what can be described as the common good, and though these violent actions have tarnished Indonesia's past, we hope that the rest of the world community can learn from the mistakes of our citizens and the tremendous progress we have made in achieving peace between religious groups, thus bringing an end sectarian violence internationally.
Chapter one of the charter of the United Nations states as a goal, “promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion” Indonesia's actions work towards this same goal, and recognizes that when sectarian violence and ethnic conflict are prevalent within a nation, harmony between all peoples on a global scale is impossible. Indonesia is therefore, a major supporter of the United Nations becoming more actively involved in the promotion of ethnic peace and tolerance.
In 1998, the first major acts of sectarian violence within Indonesia emerged in the the coastal town of Poso, and progressed in severity. In November of 2003, the treasurer of the Central Sulawesi Protestant Church was killed by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the Al-Qaida-linked terrorist group within Indonesia, and its leader, Hasanuddin. The JI is also responsible for the bombing of Poso's central market in November the same year, that killed six people. Then in May of 2005, 22 lives were lost in the bombing of the Tentena central market, though the recent attack that amassed the greatest uproar, both within Indonesia, and internationally, occurred in October 2005, as the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls. The Indonesian government responded to these attacks by sending the police force on a mission to find all that were linked to JI and the attacks, and in May of 2006 the government had placed Hasanuddin under arrest, and used his confession to develop a list of the 29 most wanted terrorists based in Poso. By January 22, seventeen of the suspected terrorists were killed, including two senior members of the JI that were also veterans of Afghanistan. The Indonesian government is also working to end the acts of sectarian violence by promoting peace with moderate Muslim leaders in recent peace negotiations.
Also, in previous bouts of violence in the region, Indonesian Minister for the people's welfare assembled negotiations between twenty-five Muslim delegates and twenty-four Christian delegates, regulated by Major General Achmad Yahya, chief of military command. These negotiations were the source of the Malino Agreement, which contains operatives applicable to the international environment, and key to the United Nations' ultimate goal of world-wide peace. The United Nation's role in working towards an end to sectarian violence and ethnic conflict should consist mainly of supporting efforts of the nation at conflict with its goals for peace. The United Nations should understand that many cases of ethnic conflict are the result of social tensions due to poverty, refugees, and the like, and that by alleviating these tensions, the source of many conflicts would be terminated. Indonesia believes that the best way for the United Nations to address these ethnically charged attacks is through negotiations between the parties involved as well as a zero-tolerance plan against the violence from either side. When staging these peace talks, it is also imperative to have a non-partisan authoritative presence to ensure the equal treatment of both sides. The purpose of the negotiations will be to not only come to a fair agreement, but also to discover the source of conflict, be it poverty or religious persecution, and formulate a plan to dissolve the sectarian and ethnic violence at its source. If all of these guidelines are regarded, Indonesia believes that nations involved in conflict of this sort, as well as the entire international community will be able to thrive in adherence to Indonesia's unifying motto of “Bhinneka tunggal ika,” in English, “many, yet one.”
